Isolation
by Plasma Snow
Summary: Based on the Whumptober prompt 'Isolation'. October 7th, Isolation. Modern AU! Not a Toothcup story. Only friendship. Might have Hiccstrid later. A one-shot RN. Will definitely turn into a full story at a later date. Hiccup is mute and lost his leg and father in the same incident that killed Toothless' mom and took his own left leg. Hiccup is anorexic and Toothless has Anxiety.


October 7th-Isolation

Hiccup had always been an odd one out. Unable to speak after voluntarily going mute at only five years old because many people in his family and at school would yell at him for his stuttering and different ways of learning. Then there was the explosion when he was seven which took his left leg and the life of his father. He could use a prosthetic, but he never spoke.

Despite not being able to speak, Hiccup could understand what many people were saying. When the doctor had said he'd had an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. He didn't know what they were talking about. He _did _eat, just not when he was stressed. It had nothing to do with body image.

In short, Hiccup was more isolated than many his age. He went to a regular school, able to work on his studies just fine. He didn't have to take physical education class like most others, and was an A+ student in English, Biology, and advanced Engineering. Berk high had many electives. He didn't do sports either, the leg making him slightly more clumsy than he already was as a young child.

As the sixteen year old boy sat at the park he caught sight of a darker skinned boy sitting alone on the swings. Without much thought, he walked to the swings himself. His parents weren't there as the park was close enough for him to walk to on his own without needing a car.

Hiccup got on the swing but didn't really move. He never really enjoyed the feeling of being tipped backwards while swinging too high. The boy from before looked at him oddly, making different sounds in his throat that sounded animalistic. Maybe a tic.

"You came over here but you don't want to swing?" The boy asked. Hiccup didn't look at him. He wasn't really one for social interaction. Everyone always looked over him.

"Hey! Hello! Are you deaf?" Hiccup rolled his eyes. If he was deaf how would he know this slightly taller boy who seemed to have a prosthetic left leg like his was talking to him? Hiccup sighed deeply and looked up at the boy, not muttering a sound.

"Okay...so you can hear me." The darker skinned boy jumped from the swing, bending his left leg so he landed on his knee rather than on his prosthetic. Hiccup knew from experience how bad that would've hurt.

"I'm Tyler, but my nickname is Toothless because I got five of my teeth knocked out when I landed on my face during gym in fifth grade. Everyone remembers it and even my dad calls me Toothless now."

Hiccup sighed deeply once more. This kid was talking so fast he couldn't keep up!

"Anyways I don't think you're going to tell me your name so...I don't really know what to say-wait...you have a prosthetic too!"

Hiccup's left pant leg was always rolled up to fit over the cuff of the prosthetic. He didn't like stepping on his pant legs with the fake foot because it tugged at what was remaining of his leg. Toothless was wearing shorts.

"Can I touch it? Yours is different than mine." Hiccup raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked down. Toothless was right. Why as his own foot was mostly metal with a brown shoe at the end, Toothless' was thicker like a real leg and decorated with dark red and white patterns.

Without really thinking, Hiccup nodded his head. He wasn't used to communicating with people his own age like this.

Toothless didn't even hesitate. He kneeled down and touched Hiccup's odd looking prosthetic. Toothless was only missing his foot, but Hiccup was missing his leg up to just below his knee. Hiccup's wasn't meant to be wide enough to substitute for a fake leg. He was more comfortable with a metal pole because it was lighter and didn't throw him off balance. Toothless obvious didn't have that problem.

"I lost mine when I was 8 in a car accident. The small red car exploded. A boy my age was caught in the chaos. His dad died. I didn't ever get to see if he survived though. My mom died in that incident."

A saddened look overtook Toothless' features. Hiccup's eyes widened and realization struck him. He'd seen a darker skinned, slightly older boy in that accident. The one that took the life of Toothless' mother. He'd seen the woman with her forehead bleeding. His own dad had died then too. That red car was the one his father got stuck in as his body burned. Luckily Stoick was unconscious when it happened.

Hiccup kicked Toothless in the arm gently to make the other boy look up at him. Toothless looked up with a slightly annoyed glare.

"What is it?" Hiccup opened his mouth but as always no words came out. He tapped his cheek with his left hand in an attempt to make Toothless know he couldn't speak. His tapped his prosthetic to the other boy's prosthetic, then pointed to the white scar on his chin, along with a burn mark on the side of his neck. He was also missing a small piece of the skin on his ear because of that accident.

It took Toothless a minute, but realization suddenly struck him. Wow. Hiccup looked a lot bigger now that he was older. He was still really thin though.

"You...you were that boy?"

Hiccup nodded his head and looked away, a flashback of his father burning covering his vision for a second before it finally faded. When he came back to reality, a dark, rough hand was on his pale, freckled cheek.

"Is that why you don't speak?"

Hiccup was caught off guard and simply shrugged his shoulders, almost innocent forest greens staring up into Toothless' acid green ones.

Toothless smiled warmly down at the boy on the swing and nodded his head in understanding.

"I don't like riding in cars ever since the incident. My dad doesn't make me unless it's absolutely necessary like to doctor's appointments and stuff like that. He's actually my foster dad. My birth father didn't want me because he became a drug addict after my mom died. I felt really bad for him. He loved her so much. The doc tells me I have PTSD and anxiety disorder. My dad tells me I'm too protective of those I get close to. For the most part I'm a loner though."

Hiccup took in all that Toothless was saying and nodded his head in understanding, wide forest green eyes finding a connection. This boy understood him. He really did.

"Do you live near here?" Toothless asked in a gentle tone as if he didn't want to scare Hiccup. The Haddock boy simply pointed to the row of houses just down the street. Toothless nodded in understanding.

"I live a block away, just across from the library. Small town ya know?" Hiccup didn't answer. Toothless made another one of those animals like growling noises in the back of his throat. It reminded Hiccup of a wolf or wild cat. Hiccup really did think it was a tic to help with the anxiety. He himself tended to rub the back of his neck or grit his teeth when he was nervous.

"Can I come over to your place? Dad is away for the weekend and doesn't want me bringing anyone over. Maybe I could like have dinner with you or something? I know how to cook really well and I could help your mom. I'm 18 so there's no real need to call my dad or anything for permission."

Hiccup thought about it before nodding his head in agreement. In all honesty, it would be nice to have a dinner that wasn't burnt. He knew he probably wouldn't be eating much of it because of the nervousness meeting a new friend caused, but at least it would be something.

Valka welcomed Toothless home and was shocked to hear he was the boy who lost his mother in the same incident that took Hiccup's father. She was even more surprised to see that he had the same handicap as her own son.

Toothless helped Valka-who was only 31 because she'd had Hiccup as a teenager-make spaghetti for dinner while Hiccup worked on building the model plain he'd been trying to finish for a week now. The parts went together with the help of magnets and his uncle on his mom's side named Spitelout had given it to him for his 16th birthday 2 weeks ago.

Everyone had fun conversation during dinner, even if Hiccup didn't speak and only nodded his head yes or no. Valka seemed to really approve of this new boy being her son's friend despite the two year age gap and the rather odd nature Toothless had. She left the two boys to work on a puzzle while she went to wash dishes, and Toothless and Hiccup only bonded closer. There was a very slight argument with Valka and Hiccup when Valka tried to get her son to at least eat his garlic bread, and after some convincing Hiccup ate, though he almost threw up afterwards at the foreign sensation.

"I didn't know you were anorexic." Toothless said as he and Hiccup were doing their 100 piece puzzle. Hiccup didn't even look up, just kicked Toothless harshly with his prosthetic leg. The 18 year old boy didn't even flinch.

"So do you think you'll ever talk again? Is it a decision or is it against your will?"

Hiccup didn't answer directly, though he did point to the burn scar on his neck. Toothless nodded his head in understanding and decided to stop pushing.

Maybe, just maybe, this new boy would be able to help Hiccup find his voice.

**(A/N) I am no doubt going to make this a longer story at a later date, but for now this is just what I have for the Whumptober prompt. Also this IS NOT Toothcup shipping. I'm considering making Toothless like Hiccup's older brother at some point. There is a very mild part of me who wants to put Toothless and Valka together because my own mother was 30 when she married and had a child with my ex-step-dad who was 18 at the time. Who knows, I'll see what the reviewers want. Sorry for the late update! Happy Whumptober!**


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